Hello everyone,
I’m buying a laptop primarily for MSFS 2020/2024. Unfortunately I need a portable device.
I can’t decide which of the following two might be a better option in terms of performance. Could you help, please?
Many thanks in advance!
If only you could get the X3D CPU and the 4090…
If Intel wasn’t having major problems with their 14th gen chips right now, I’d lean towards that option to get the 4090. 12GB VRAM on the 4080 is…just enough…but I’d rather have 16GB and the faster GPU.
Tough call.
Personally, I swore I’d never buy another ASUS product. But that’s because of a horrific warranty experience I had with their customer support. Many others have been having the same issue. Thing is, they make a good product. You just have to pray it doesn’t break.
Intel has issues atm. Check out MIL video on this matter. As a disclaimer, he provided nothing more than hearsay for his conclusions. But, while doubt persists, and there are no other credible answers coming forward, then you have to assume the worst and avoid intel.
My gut feeling is that Intel needs to do a recall. What they have now is an escalation of an issue that is only ever getting worse for their appearance. If MIL is correct though, there may be nothing that they can replace those CPUs with, unless they want to buy up a ton of AMD parts.
What about this Gamer’s Nexus video?
Hi @honzamarek92,
Do you have any particular vendor in mind? E.g. Amazon, Best Buy, NewEgg, etc. etc. Also, what is you budget?
If we knew these, we might be able to suggest alternatives to the two products you listed. The two items you show have issues, as mentioned. Can you wait until November before purchasing? If so, we may have a better idea of what hardware works best with MSFS 2024, and you would be purchasing during the November sales, so might save some money too! 
Thank you all of the replies!
Well, it is a bit complicated as I’ll be buying it via a corporate benefit discount from a local shop. They don’t have all the configurations available though. Hence budget is kind of unlimited. It’s more about available options. Basically, they have different Lenovo and Asus laptops with RTX 4060-4090, newest Intels and also some AMD. Unfortunately, there is only this particular one with X3D. Well, not easy 
Moreover, the offer is kind of limited until end of summer.
Hi @honzamarek92,
OK, So in your situation I would go with option #2: Lenovo Legion: Intel 14900HX + RTX4090 16gb
Before making the purchase, I’d get a copy of the return policy from the shop in writing & review it to ensure I could return the laptop if the CPU fried. I’d explain to the store that you are concerned about reports of issues seen with Intel 14900 CPUs, and though the laptop has an HX & not a K version, need reassurance that the laptop could be returned if the CPU failed for any reason. If the store does not want to provide a written return policy, then it’s “buyer beware”! 
Once purchased, the first thing I’d do is download & update the BIOS, and go into the BIOS to confirm that all CPU settings match any recommended settings from Intel.
Hope this helps with your decision.
Check with costco online too, they usually have MSI and Lenovo stuff a little higher tier than the in-store ones.
And to be honest, having something from a brick and mortar like Best Buy can be a big help with issues.
I love being an ‘internet wizard’ for some things, but electronics or tools can really suck if something goes wrong. Could of been in and out of a BB or Home Depot where as 31 days later on Amazon and you’re squealed.
Or I’d buy direct from Lenovo/Alienware/HP or whatever mfg website. Usually costs exactly the same if not cheaper. I’ve grown increasingly weary of an endless stream of things from drop-shippers. And at one point I was spending $30k/yr on Amazon. Even bought a Fire TV for the kids that sucked and it took 2 months to get the money back-from friggin amazon on an amzaon credit card. The last 3 TV’s I’ve just bought from Best Buy with zero worry. Fortunately I’m less than 30 minutes from a microcenter(or 5+ Costco’s Best Buy’s or 12 Home Depots etc) in NoVa endless shopping-land.
I’d build my own Lenovo from Lenovo. Personally I like their no-nonsense approach. Legion pro 4090 AMD 32gb 2tb is on sale for $2699, Intel 32gb/2tb is $3219
MIL gives a more in depth reason for the issue by stating that the ring bus was ran at much higher power than their tech advisory group felt was safe. Intel caved into the pressure from AMD and added extra cores to an architecture that would struggle to maintain it.
There’s currently no definitive answer on whether laptop parts are affected. however, if I were in your shoes I would wait until at least mid-August to start using any new 13th or 14th gen high end Intel chip. Intel hasn’t been completely forthright (apparently they suffered a bout of oxidation during manufacturing in 2023 and didn’t tell anyone about it), but taken at their word there is a problem with voltage that is causing instability.
Problem is, once your CPU is unstable, there’s no fixing it. Intel claims to be testing a microcode fix for this which they’ll introduce in mid-August. Even if I had one of these sitting in front of me right now I wouldn’t take it out of the box until that update is released and applied.
Thank you guys!
Fortunately it is a big online store in Czechia, actually the biggest, and just we have this benefit in my company with them. Thank you also for the tips!
I personally was really concerned about the right choice, particularly when I saw these two graphics in YT video tests. What do you think about it? Is the VRAM such an issue when it’s capped?
It is not exactly the 14900 and there is also DX11, but it is very confusing for me.
I checked out MSI’s website since they make a good quality product. None of their laptops had a GPU better than the 4070. And only one (non-X3D) AMD CPU.
Exactly. RTX 4090 is rare even when I’m looking in my store. Sometimes it comes with 14900HX, sometimes with 7945HX. X3D is only this Asus as far as I know.
Hi @honzamarek92, Re the graphs above:
The problem with these is that one does not know the test criteria that generated the results. I have no problems flying around with my FPS at 30, so anything above that is fine with me, though others may have higher standards! 
Ideally, one would like to see results for a complex airliner (e.g. from PMG / Fenix) flying into a high-density custom airport such as Heathrow, KJFK, etc. with Ultra settings & all on-line data services & traffic enabled.
I suspect that at 4K, there will be occasions where the FPS will drop below 30, especially if you have installed any badly optimized addons, but then you could drop the resolution down to 1440 or 1080.
Are you planning to use an external monitor? - if so what make, model & resolution do you plan to use & how will it be connected?
Yeah, you’re right. No idea what aircraft was used and where.
I’ll stick to a laptop display 
I’d 100% go with the Lenovo Legion AMD/4090. Why would anyone go with an Intel just baffles me. It doesn’t win ANY performance contest in gaming.
